Tacatacuru was a

Timucua The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The va ...

chiefdom A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...

located on

Cumberland Island Cumberland Island, in the southeastern United States, is the largest of the Sea Islands of Georgia. The long-staple Sea Island cotton was first grown here by a local family, the Millers, who helped Eli Whitney develop the cotton gin. With i ...

in what is now the U.S. state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was one of two chiefdoms of the Timucua subgroup known as the Mocama, who spoke the Mocama dialect of

Timucuan The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The var ...

and lived in the coastal areas of southeastern Georgia and northern Florida. The Tacatacuru were among the first native tribes to meet French explorer

Jean Ribault Jean Ribault (also spelled ''Ribaut'') (1520 – October 12, 1565) was a French naval officer, navigator, and a colonizer of what would become the southeastern United States. He was a major figure in the French attempts to colonize Florida. A H ...

's expedition in 1562. They appear to have interacted amicably with the French when they people established

Fort Caroline Fort Caroline was an attempted French colonial settlement in Florida, located on the banks of the St. Johns River in present-day Duval County. It was established under the leadership of René Goulaine de Laudonnière on 22 June, 1564, follow ...

in present-day

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, in 1564. The Tacatacuru later became deeply involved in the Spanish mission system, and one of the first missions in

Spanish Florida Spanish Florida ( es, La Florida) was the first major European land claim and attempted settlement in North America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, ...

, San Pedro de Mocama, was established in their territory. Like other tribes in the area, they were greatly affected by Eurasian diseases and war with other peoples through the 17th century. By 1675, they had abandoned Cumberland Island and relocated south, where they merged with other Timucua peoples and lost their independent identity.

Area

The Tacatacuru occupied

and the adjacent coastal areas of mainland

. Their main village was located toward the southern end of the island. An archaeological site extending from the Dungeness plantation northward along the shore has been identified as the probable location of Tacatacuru. Spanish records indicate there were at least seven other villages on the island and eleven more on the mainland. Other Mocama-speaking

lived in the area, including the

Saturiwa The Saturiwa were a Timucua chiefdom centered on the mouth of the St. Johns River in what is now Jacksonville, Florida. They were the largest and best attested chiefdom of the Timucua subgroup known as the Mocama, who spoke the Mocama dialect o ...

, who lived to the south around the mouth of the St. Johns River in what is now

. To the east of the Tacatacuru on the mainland were speakers of the Yufera and Itafi dialects of Timucua; named tribes include the

Ibi Ibi or IBI may refer to: Companies * IBI Group, a Canadian-based architecture, engineering, planning, and technology firm Places * Ibi, Nigeria, a town and administrative district in Taraba State, central Nigeria * Ibi, Spain, a town in the pr ...

and the

Cascangue The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The var ...

or Icafui. The

Guale Guale was a historic Native American chiefdom of Mississippian culture peoples located along the coast of present-day Georgia and the Sea Islands. Spanish Florida established its Roman Catholic missionary system in the chiefdom in the late 16th ...

people lived to the north.

History

Cumberland Island and the surrounding area were inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous peoples who preceded the Tacatacuru; these early settlers often lived there in seasonal fishing camps. As did other Mocama peoples, the Tacatacuru participated in the Savannah archaeological culture. The Tacatacuru met the French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Bez ...

expedition of

in 1562. The account by Ribault's lieutenant René Goulaine de Laudonnière records a meeting with the natives of the "Seine River" (now known as the St. Marys River) and their chief, though they do not mention any names from this time. The Tacatacuru met the French again when they returned under Laudonnière to establish the colony of

in 1564. The Chief Tacatacuru mentioned in French records from this time may be the earlier leader who met the initial expedition, or his successor.Swanton, p. 144. The Tacatacuru seem to have maintained friendly relations with the French, as well as with the Saturiwa, in whose territory Fort Caroline was established. Spanish forces from

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...

destroyed the French outpost in 1565, after which the Tacatacuru, like the Saturiwa, were antagonistic toward them. Both groups were among those Native Americans who aided

Dominique de Gourgue Dominique (or Domingue) de Gourgues (1530–1593) was a French nobleman and soldier. He is best known for leading an attack against Spanish Florida in 1568, in response to the destruction of the French Fort Caroline. He was a captain in King Char ...

in his raid on the Spanish in 1567. After the Tacatacuru made peace with the Spanish, the latter established a fort and a mission, San Pedro de Mocama, on Cumberland Island near the main Tacatacuru town. This was one of the earliest of the missions in Spanish Florida, as well as one of the most prominent; the church eventually built there was as large as that in St. Augustine. For a time, the garrison marked the northern extent of Spanish power, providing defense against the

. In the late 16th century the Tacatacuru chief, Don Juan, was a major supporter of cooperation with the Spanish, and joined them in pushing back the Guale in the revolt of 1597. Juan died three years later, and was succeeded by his niece, Doña Ana. Tacatacuru prominence continued in the early 17th century; in 1601 the Spanish noted that the Cascangue and the once-powerful Saturiwa were then vassals of the Tacatacuru.Deagan, p. 91. San Pedro de Mocama was on the 1655 mission list, and the Tacatacuru do not appear to have taken part in the Timucua rebellion the following year. However, increased pressure from other tribes took its toll on the Tacatacuru, and all survivors abandoned Cumberland Island by 1675, relocating closer to St. Augustine. The island was subsequently occupied by the

Yamasee The Yamasees (also spelled Yamassees or Yemassees) were a multiethnic confederation of Native Americans who lived in the coastal region of present-day northern coastal Georgia near the Savannah River and later in northeastern Florida. The Yama ...

. The remaining Tacatacuru were absorbed into other tribes in Florida and lost their independent identity.

Notes

References

*Deagan, Kathleen A. (1978). "Cultures in Transition: Fusion and Assimilation among the Eastern Timucua." In Jerald Milanich and Samuel Procter, eds. ''Tacachale: Essays on the Indians of Florida and Southeastern Georgia during the Historic Period.'' The University Presses of Florida. * * * {{authority control Timucua Native American tribes in Florida Native American tribes in Georgia (U.S. state) Cumberland Island Former chiefdoms in North America